Pages

Thursday, September 09, 2010

The Snuggler and the Kindergarteners

Zack had a nightmare a couple of nights ago and needed to come snuggle in bed with momma and daddy. He is not normally my snuggler, so it was extra special, getting that affection from him. I sure wish he could tell me what his bad dream was about, but I don't really need to know in order to comfort him. That night, he was just an ordinary little boy who had a bad dream and needed his momma, and I loved that.

But on to the Big News -- Kindergarten, day one. I spent the morning rushing through dressing, feeding, and medicating, all the while talking up how great a day it was going to be. "Are you watching for the bus?" "Are you excited for the bus?" "Come on, let's get ready for the bus!" I said "bus" as much as possible. Because they love the bus.

In an effort to simplify things for the teachers and therapists, I put their names on their backs. I won't ever dress them alike for school. No point in making things more confusing than they already are.

It was a small bus, just like when they went to preschool. And yet it was different, because this one was bigger -- it had room for a wheelchair. It is way more "special ed" than the last bus. I guess that's not a big deal as long as it didn't bother Zack & AJ, and it didn't seem to. They went to the seats they were directed to and submitted to being strapped in. Zack chewed on his butterfly. AJ watched Aliza and me waving, and pressed his hand against the window. I had a few tears that I kept to myself. And off they went.

And I went grocery shopping all by myself. In the morning, while all the shelves were well stocked and there weren't many shoppers to compete for cart space. I browsed almost every aisle and planned a couple of meals. I read labels. I pondered foods I had never tried. I reveled in peace and solitude.

See the reason this wasn't terribly hard for me is because we had a great visit to the school just yesterday. Kindergarteners started school a couple of days later than the rest of the students, so they could meet individually with their teacher and show her what they could do. Zack showed her how he could climb up on the tables. AJ showed her how he could find Internet Explorer on her computer in 4 seconds flat. They both showed her that they liked looking at books and could even put things away, if they were specifically asked to. Zack showed her how he likes to be applauded for everything he does right. AJ showed her what a momma's boy he is.

They both showed me that they were going to be just fine at their new school. And the teachers and therapists showed me the same thing. And they were. Day one, done!